By Kiara Doyal, The Seattle Medium
On December 23, First African Methodist Episcopal Church (FAME) and The Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle (ULMS) hosted their annual Spirit of Christmas Day, giving gifts to families in need, targeting newborns to children 18 years of age.
Brenda Nelson, a member of FAME since 1963, says this community service effort would not be possible without their community partnerships, as they expect to serve 100 families and over 600 kids.
With 98% of the donated toys coming from Toys for Tots, Nelson says that the effort showcases the generosity of people in the greater Seattle area. Once the donations were collected, Nelson described how the church transformed into a scene reminiscent of Santa’s Workshop, with large boxes of toys spread out across the building.
“It takes a team to do what we do, and I love to say the word team because everybody achieves more together,” says Nelson. “I cannot do this without the Urban League, First AME, and our partnerships with Toys for Tots, the Seattle Chapter of Girlfriends organization, the Breakfast Group organization, as well as countless members of our church and community who have donated money, gift cards, and toys.”
Linda Taylor, Vice President of Housing & Financial Empowerment for ULMS, agrees and says the event is definitely a collective effort of the community.
“The Urban League provided breakfast and lunch for the volunteer staff, as well as toys and gift cards. The Breakfast Group gave financial support, and the Urban League Guild donated money and socks for the event,” said Taylor.
According to Nelson, the two-day operation saw 80 to 90 volunteers, including 18 students from Garfield High School’s Y-Scholars program, sort and organize toys and gift bags for each family by gender and age, and then distribute them to families as they pulled up in the FAME parking lot during their designated time slot.
“We make sure everything that they’re supposed to have is in the bag, and then we have runners that will run that package back out to the person and hand it off to them,” explained Nelson, who said the event also featured a Black Santa for the families to take pictures with.
Taylor, who has been a part of the Spirit of Christmas Day for longer than she can remember, said that all volunteers truly want to be there and experience what it means to give back while benefiting from it as well.
“A lot of the school-aged children who come to volunteer with us and want to volunteer get to credit the volunteer hours towards their volunteer hours at school,” Taylor said. “It really is something that parents can do with their children as well because it helps them learn the meaning of giving back. I have been doing it with my family for so long that my 22-year-old grandson and his girlfriend will now be helping out this year.”
While they are serving quite a few families in the area, Nelson, who is a special education teacher at Meany Middle School in Seattle, says that there are still many families in the community who are in need.
“Families are still calling, but we can’t take more than we have the capacity for,” said Nelson. “I am a public-school teacher; I see the need with students and families that I work with here at my school. I have been with Seattle Public Schools for 18 years, so I know the need that is out there.”
For Nelson, the Spirit of Christmas Day kicks off her holiday season, and she said the day is filled with music, candy, and joy for everyone.
“My job is to serve and galvanize others to come do it with me, and that brings me joy. And I must say that this event kicks off my holiday season. We have music, giving away candy canes, and Santa, and it is just great. I see people and students I have worked with, so it is just a big joy for me to get into the Christmas spirit,” Nelson continued.
Taylor said that the Spirit of Christmas is a time when ULMS’s whole staff is truly invested in giving back to families in need during the holiday season and believes that the staff just appreciates the fact that they can give back to some of their clients.
“This day just represents unconditional love, peace, generosity, and faith. It helps our staff really give back and help the clients that they are serving because there is only so much that we can do for some of our clients,” Taylor said. “We want to go above and beyond for our clients, and the Spirit of Christmas is a way that we can do that.”